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August 9, 2013

Welcome to my blog feature, Building Character in which
you get to meet a character from a book. Talking to a character outside of
their book is fun! Huge. Amounts. Of fun.

This week Strands of Thought is host to Tex McKenna from Tex, and the Gangs of Suburbia. Welcome to Strands of Thought, Tex. Tell us a little
about yourself and what your life is like.

Hey, um, I’m Richard “Tex” McKenna. Boy witch. Now, what are
we doing here again? I hope no one’s gonna’ read this. I’d like to keep my
witchiness a secret. It’s hard enough being in high school with bullies and a
heinous vice-principal. Sure don’t want others knowing I’m a witch. That’s all
I need.

It’s not like I chose to be a witch. Just found out last
year. My mom’s legacy was passed onto me. Wish she’d passed on a ton of cash or
something. But that’s my luck. Tex McKenna, broke male witch.

Besides being a boy witch in high school, tell us what
other conflict are you up against.

What am I not against? Last year, when I found out I was a
witch, it fell upon me to find out who was killing the bullies at Clearwell
High. Long story. This year sucks much more. My girlfriend, Olivia, dumped me.
Some dumb reason about not wanting to be on welfare or something. I dunno.
Girls are more indecipherable than the nebulous rules of witchcraft. Guess I
should mention that this year (my junior year) it fell upon my admittedly bony
shoulders to save someone’s life. Through crazy events out of my control, I
have to join a high school gang. I know, right? Tex McKenna, gangsta! And
there’s this weird girl, Elspeth, who I’ve never seen before, don’t know, have
no clue about. But she’s kinda’ hot. And she knows I’m a witch.

What have you learned about yourself, or friends, or family while
trying to resolve all of this?

Nothing’s more important than loyal loved ones. My dad, even though he
doesn’t have a clue, is always there for me. Then there’s Olivia. My ex. She dumped me (did I mention that?). But
she’s still there, willing to help. Even if it is as just “friends.” Gah! Just
wish she wasn’t showing so much attention to the golden tanned Greek God,
Brandon. Guy’s dumber than a bowl of cereal. Doesn’t stop every girl in school
from ogling him. Jerk. There’s Mickey, my witch mentor. Hair bluer than sky and
a slap sharper than a knife, she’s tough, the rock I need. Don’t know if I’d
consider him a friend, but Detective Cowlings, possibly the only gay cop in
Clearwell, Kansas, is a valued ally. But he suspects there’s more to me than
meets the eye. He’s right, of course, but don’t tell him. People aren’t going
to read this, right?

Is there anything about you that people are always giving
you a hard time about? How do you feel about it?

Like a lotta’ kids, I’m bullied. No real reason. Just ‘cause I’m
different, I guess. I’ve been called tons of names, but that pales in
comparison to the true threat to my existence. Okay, okay, I know that sounds
over-the-top, but really, every day you survive at Clearwell High? Victory!
And, besides, I’m a teenager. It’s my right to be melodramatic.

If you could change one
thing in this world, what would you change?

Okay, I’m gonna’ cheat. Two things HAVE to change. One: I want my
girlfriend, Olivia, back. I’ll do anything. And I do. But the stupid love spell
goes wrong. In a major way. It’s complicated. Two: I want an end to high school bullying and the random violence.
It’s horrifying, yet I’m always in the midst of it. Really, though, it’s up to
everyone banding together. Knowledge is power. So is witchcraft. But I can’t
use it to fix everything. Barely understand it. I don’t even understand myself.

You are right, Tex. Kids have the most power to end
bullying. By standing up for each other, they would stop the bullies preying on
the weak. There is power in numbers. Thank you so much for stopping in and
talking about your new story. I’m sure no one will see this, don’t worry!
However, if we do have any readers, here is more about Tex’s book.

Tex And The Gangs Of Suburbia: Tex McKenna’s junior year of high school is just as bad as
his sophomore year. Maybe worse. Olivia’s dumped him. He's caught up
between two warring gangs and gone “undercover” with the Modern Gangstas to
unmask a murderer. All this poor Witch Boy and supernatural trouble
magnet wants to do is end the school year alive. And maybe find
out who the mysterious punker girl is and how she knows all his
secrets.

After working as a graphic
and production artist for the last 23 years, the company for which I labored
shuttered its doors in July of 2010, finally allowing me the time and mental
energy to tackle something that I'm passionate about.

“Tex And The Gangs Of
Suburbia” is the second novel in a trilogy detailing the adventures of my
teenage witch, following the initial book, “Tex, The Witch Boy.” The trilogy is
meant as entertainment but also deals with current social issues teens face.
“Tex And The God Squad,” the third book, will soon follow.

I'm married to a professor
of pharmacy (who greatly appreciates that I now prepare dinner for her) and
have a 20 year old daughter, who hasn’t yet decided what to do with her life.
But that’s okay…it took me 25 years or longer.

August 2, 2013

Welcome to my blog feature, Building Character in which
you get to meet a character from a book. Talking to a character outside of
their book is fun! Huge. Amounts. Of fun.

This week Strands of Thought is host to Selena and Jordan
from No More Goddesses. Welcome to Strands of Thought girls. Tell us a little
about yourselves and what your life is like.

Hi, I’m going to start as
Jordan is being all shy and everything.

“Don’t roll your eyes at
me chica! You know it’s true.”

Sighs.

Okay, where were we? Oh, yeah, hey, I’m Selena and Jordan over
there just happens to be my BFF. We
both love romance and yes, even vintage Audrey Hepburn movies. I have a mega sweet tooth. **Love bubblegum. Also love hawt guys, vlogging about romance and of course more
hawt guys, and adventure. Unless it
involves being around one nasty Goddess chica.
Then I rather stay home, thank you very much!

Girls, tell us what you’re up against.

Okay, I didn’t
believe Jordan at first. I love the
chica to death but seriously, who would believe that goddesses actually
exist? Well, I didn’t until things
started happening and then being the friend I am, I had to help her out. The biggest conflict we had is trying to get
Hathor to leave us alone. Easier said
than done. Sigh.

A goddess!? Wow, how do you beat that? What are some of
the biggest stumbling blocks you’ve encountered while trying to get rid of
Hathor?

First, like I
mentioned before, who was going to believe us?
You’d think Jordan would get her Professor dad to help us but of course
not. Thank goodness for Andrew, Mr.
Mythology Geek, whose knowledge of ancient gods did come in handy.

What have you learned about yourself while trying to
resolve your conflict?

Okay, I already know
that I’m loyal to a fault. I mean, I’ll
do anything for my friends especially Jordan.
We’re tight. I might have
thought she was loca but I’d never say that to her face. No, I’d help her to the very end.

Jordan has been really quiet! Why don’t you tell us about
her Selena?

Jordan is my
BFF. We’ve been friends since
elementary school. Others might think she’s a little strange—okay, sometimes
her Audrey Hepburn passion kind of goes overboard but hey, that’s part of her
charm! She got me into the whole AH
thing. Now I can’t stop watching the
old movies! Also love her grandmother
who is the coolest.

We’d love to learn more about you. What is your strongest
personality trait?

Being loyal. Yep.
That’s me. Ms. Loyal!

Is there anything about you that people are always giving
you a hard time about? How do you feel about it?

Okay, for one,
people say I’m mega hyper. Hey, it’s
better than just being laid back. Also
that I eat too much sweets. Nah, so not
true.

**Selena pops a huge bubble.

Nope, not true at
all. Next question?

What are your three favorite leisure activities?

Shopping for cute
clothes, watching Tessa’s Treasure
with Jordan, and hanging with my friends at In N Out Burger.

I love In N Out! I wish we had them up here in Oregon.
What do you want to be when you grow up?

A famous vlogger. Do they have jobs like that? Because if they do? I’d totally rock at it.

Idk if it’s a job, but my niece posted a picture of her
and a famous vlogger on Facebook yesterday. So, if you could change one thing
in this world, what would you change?

It should be against
the law for goddesses to mess with us.
Isn’t there some kind of rule book on that? Need to ask Andrew. He’d
know.

Thanks for visiting with us girls. Readers, here is more
about Selena’s and Jordan’s story, No More Goddesses:

When fifteen-year-old Jordan Lake
discovers an ancient bracelet in her grandmother's house, she uncovers a family
mystery that links her favorite actress, Audrey Hepburn, a romantic movie, and
an aunt she never knew. Jordan hopes the bracelet will bring her love. Instead,
it becomes a nightmare, unleashing the curse of Hathor, the Egyptian love
goddess, who decides it's fun to mess with theMcKnight High School social
scene. Only Jordan holds the key to vanquish Hathor, but will she figure it out
in time to save her school and get a date to the dance?

When writing No More
Goddesses, Kim Baccellia watched almost all of Audrey Hepburn movies and
learned to love this famous icon after watching and reading all she could on
Audrey. She has also always had a secret desire to travel to Egypt and visit
the pyramids. The closest she’s come to fulfilling this dream are her younger
sister Autumn and Egyptian-national brother-in-law Eihab, who were kind enough
to share some things with her, including a Hathor sistrum and some incense.
Kim's other works include Crossed Out, a YA paranormal, published by Lachesis
Publishing, and a YA multicultural fantasy, Earrings of Ixtumea, which was
re-released in March 2012 by Muse It Up publishing. A member of YARWA, Kim is
currently writing the sequel to Crossed Out. She's also putting the finishing
touches on a YA multicultural dystopian novel. She lives in Southern California
with her husband and son.

August 1, 2013

Both of my summer releases have been added to the Goodreads 2013 Summer Reads list. Please hop on over and cast a vote to help them climb the chart. Let everyone know they should add these books to their to-read shelf. Thanks for your help!

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Hi! I'm Kai (pronounced like the letter K.) I write Epic award winning fiction for kids and teens. I can say that because I won an award from EPIC for The Weaver! I'm the mother of four, which makes me a bit of an expert in the writing for kids arena. I love singing, gardening, walking, pizza and Mozart. Please check out my books and short stories on my website and contact me with any questions you have. Thanks for reading.